Notes:
You need to apply in advance in order to see the Akita Maiko.
You can enjoy geisha songs, shamisen performances, dances by maiko, and traditional Japanese food in a tatami-mat room.

In the large park, not even the paths and steps could be seen.
A wonderful, snow-covered scene.
Everything was a new experience.

I tried kiritanpo nabe, a local dish made by adding cooked rice to a hot-pot. The mild soup warms you up when you are cold.

I didn’t understand any of the stories the store-owner told.
But they did bring back an old, familiar feeling from my childhood.
I felt a strange nostalgia in far-away Tohoku.
The Tohoku region of Japan seems to be a place where that is possible.

Every gesture of the dance performed by the maiko (young women who entertain visitors with traditional Japanese dance and games) was beautiful, from their heads to their toes.
Faced with a dance I had never seen before, I was constantly taking photos.
I couldn’t look away, and wanted to watch forever.

The game we played was really fun.
I was no match for the others, but that was fun too.

The ice-cream doesn’t melt here, unlike in Thailand.
I could take my time, and savor it slowly.

Beautiful snowscapes, the maiko with their white make-up, and winter ice-cream.
My trip to wintery Tohoku, covered in snow, had begun.